Two vehicles were seized, drugs were confiscated and drivers were warned about their behaviour in an operation to tackle anti-social behaviour at Parc Trostre in Llanelli.
Dyfed-Powys Police carried out the operation at the shopping centre on Friday, April 22, after concerns locally about bad driving there.
Under section 59 anti-social driving powers, police officers worked with the local roads policing unit, the dog section, and local store managers and carried out high visibility intelligence-led patrols. This operation resulted in 12 people being searched, four vehicle searches, 19 driver warnings issued, three cannabis seizures, two vehicle seizures, one disqualified driver being identified, and six drivers being breathalysed. You can get more Llanelli news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Last summer, boy racer issues were raised in Llanelli after as many as 40 cars were spotted revving up at Llanelli’ s North Dock, leading to some neighbours thinking that fireworks were being set off. The drivers were believed to have relocated there from the Tesco and B&Q areas in Parc Trostre but they have since returned to their old haunt.
There have also been past issues with youths gathering and causing trouble at the McDonald's by the retail park. In January this year, a Section 34 dispersal order was issued giving police the power to move anyone believed to be causing a nuisance, harassment or distress out of the area.
A spokesperson for Parc Trostre said: “We would like to reassure shoppers that safety and security is our number one priority at Parc Trostre. Our team do all they can to make shoppers feel safe, and we have well-rehearsed and flexible security plans in place, as well as a close relationship with Dyfed-Powys Police, to ensure Parc Trostre is a safe place to be. We take all anti-social behaviour incidents at Parc Trostre very seriously and we have already spoken to our staff and the police regarding this issue and how to prevent future incidents.” You can read more stories about Llanelli here.
After the incident, a spokesperson for McDonald’s told WalesOnline: "We are aware of some long-term anti-social behaviour issues which have impacted the retail park and surrounding area, and we continue to play a leading role as a business working to combat this by working closely with the local police."
